Principal Tiffany Morse paid the bill at Lan Xang. In cash. She didn't want the staff to see the name on her card. What a waste tonight was, she thought. Good food, crappy conversation. All he had to do was shut up and sit pretty. But no ...
"Come on, Tiff." Sal Salem grabbed her by the arm.
"Let go of me. And get a grip on yourself." Tiffany regretted paying for Sal's drink. She should have figured it would just make him even worse. This wasn't her first bad date. She should have known better. She had a master's degree. Not that a piece of paper really meant that much these days.
"Okay, okay." Sal backed off from Tiffany. This was just for a moment. He was certain he'd be able to touch her again. In certain places out of the public eye. "Now what was I sayin'?"
"Let's not go there." Tiffany sighed. "Let's just go home." Nothing was going right tonight. How could the valet not have recognized her? That was a little thing, but things snowballed from there.
"Okay, okay." It was hard to believe Sal was a creative writing teacher by day when he could barely string words together tonight. "Like I was sayin' ..."
Tiffany pushed open the door, knowing he'd follow. She kind of wished he wouldn't. "Don't say it. Not here. Not until we get in the car. No, just don't say it at all." She signalled the valet. At least she was in the guy's short-term memory. She still couldn't believe he could forget a regular like her.
And it wasn't just the valet. The waitress hadn't recognized her either. Hadn't given her free dessert like all the other times she ate here. Maybe she'd never eat here again. Their amnesia plus Sal's behavior left a bad taste in her mouth.
Sal patted an elephant relief decorating the entrance on his way out. "Imagine one o' these tramplin' him."
"Don't touch that." Tiffany felt like the creep's mother disciplining him. A man twenty years younger. Old enough to be her son. Gross. "And don't you dare talk about my husband like that. Just shut up. You're sick."
The valet drove Tiffany's car up to her and Sam. She forced herself to shift gears and be polite. "Thank you."
"You're welcome," said the valet. "Good night."
"Good night." I certainly didn't have one, thought Tiffany. And I have the feeling it's only going to get worse. She sat on the driver's seat and unlocked the passenger door.
Sal opened the door and got into her car. "Okay, okay, now can we really talk now?"
"Can you be less redundant? You're supposed to be an English teacher!"
Why did I ever hire this guy? Tiffany asked herself. Because he was hot?
"Yeah, but I'm off duty. Thass jus' my day job. There's a lot more t' me. Like muh gun collection."
Tiffany was grateful he hadn't mentioned that in the restaurant.
"And it's not just for show either. I could do a demonstration ... for your husband."
"That's it. You're not just drunk. You're sick. Get out!"
"What?"
"You heard me. Get outta my car."
"But we're still in Mount Valley. Lake Point's miles away ..."
"Yeah, so what? Go walk. Go get a taxi. Go home by yourself. I don't care how. Just go."
"You can't be serious."
"You might be serious about the demented nonsense you're spouting. You're more interested in violence than me. And I am not interested in you." Tiffany parked the car on the side of the highway linking Mount Valley and Lake Point. "Out. Now."
No "Okay, okay" from Sal this time. "Bitch."
"Yeah, that's what they all call me."
Sal stepped out of the car and slammed the door. "Bitch. The hell with your school! You're all gonna pay! I GOT GUNS!!"
I know, thought Tiffany as she sped off and left him behind.
She could hear him in the distance. "BITCH!!" He was not going to forgive her. Tiffany realized he might try to get revenge. Violently. Or by other means - like claiming sexual harassment. She was his superior ... and he could make himself out to be the victim. Of a cougar attack. Her career could be over.
It would be over at 3:47 tomorrow afternoon, but she had no way of knowing that.
Nor did she have any way of knowing that Jon was watching her on his phone's new app. He couldn't sleep.
And what he had just seen could give him nightmares. His English teacher was a psycho! Mr. Salem thought he could impress Tiffany by hinting he could kill her husband. Tiffany ... married. So weird. Her dating his teacher. Even weirder? How could he face Mr. Salem in English tomorrow? "Sal," as Tiffany had called him. He wasn't just a teacher to Jon anymore. He was a real person. A really messed up person. Drunk. Perhaps even sadistic. Jon would never have guessed the guy pushing poetry on him was a barbarian. A Mr. Hyde as well as a Dr. Jeckyl. Worst of all, this Janus had probably always been that way. For once Jon's wish hadn't twisted someone. Mr. Salem had been twisted for a long time. And unlike Principal Tiffany Morse, he wasn't going to go away at 3:47.
Jon couldn't figure out whether Mr. Salem was a real menace or just blustering in a tasteless attempt to impress Tiffany with his machismo. Dangerous or harmless? Jon couldn't bear the thought of knowing Mr. Salem's true nature and doing nothing until it was too late.
The guilt of ruining lives was crushing Jon. Could he atone by doing something about Mr. Salem ... with the stone?
